New Google Tricks

Have you ever tried to teach an old dog a new trick? They say it's impossible, but things are different in the tech world. You might have already got used to Google's service the Knowledge Graph, which was introduced to the English-speaking part of the world in May. Now it is being employed to improve search possibilities in other languages too.

At the moment, this service is available in Russian, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. Speakers of these languages can now also enjoy semantically widened search results, including things not directly relevant to their search query. These search results give them additional information and answer follow-up questions before those are asked. The Knowledge Graph works automatically and you do not have to remember any key combinations or special words to enable it.

Knowledge Graph About ABBA

But this is not the only way to improve your search results. There are about 30 ways to do it, and those are already merged into Google search. I won't list all of them, I'll just touch upon some of the most interesting ones - those capable of enriching your experience together with the Knowledge Graph in some way.

To begin with, using quotes around the search query, which allows you to filter the search results by only including the exact word combination – these are mostly stored within the Knowledge Graph already. As is the case with e.g. historical figures or events, Google search provides filtered results in the first place, so there is no need for quotes around the phrase. However, it's not quite time to abandon quotes completely: they still prove themselves very handy in many other cases.

Using The Quotes

On to the next secret. Imagine a situation when you've found some general information about a person or event, but you want more. Imagine that you want to look for a certain kind of documents, for example PDF, about the historical figure in question. In this case, you can type something like 'filetype:pdf William the Conqueror', and this will get you links to PDF files relevant to your search.

Searching With File Type

And last but not least is a secret way to get more accurate results from the Knowledge Graph, which as you know includes about 570 million terms and has more that 18 billion associations between facts; and this secret way implies searching in date ranges or other non-specific numeric areas.To do this, you just need to put an ellipsis ('…') between known values. Your search will be narrowed down to the indicated period instead of a specific date.

Searching Between Dates

To my mind, expanding the Knowledge Graph is a worthy move on Google's part. I enjoyed sifting through information on different events and places around the globe. I found these tricks useful for improving my search results, and I hope they'll help you too.

Google Earth and Google Maps

Google Maps and Google Earth are two staggering projects that let us explore the world. Seriously, I'm starting to think that the Google team have something of a gut feeling for big ideas that they could turn into really great projects not only in the sense that they're exciting to take on, but also useful.

It would be quite reasonable to assume that one program should be quite enough for the purpose of mapping; but apparently Google do not share our point of view, offering two distinct applications. Why do they do that? Are those really so different? Let's try to analyze these programs and see whether each of them does have its own unique use or if it's a false impression and Google are just being overly compartmentalizing.

Google Earth

An impressive application released by Google in 2005 to let you ''fly'' around the globe. In bulk, this is exactly what you need to study satellite imagery, terrain, canyons, oceans, 3D buildings, and even galaxies in outer space. The project has a long history behind it (for sure, 8 years of existence on the market isn't that little time) and the application has been updated a lot more than once. This is the primary evidence that Google never forgets about its brainchildren. The first versions of Google Earth were not exactly striking, resembling something like your regular tabletop globe; but with the introduction of features like 3D view, Sky Mode, Street View, Historical Imagery, Space, etc. it's at least become worth trying.

Brazil

So, when you first launch Google Earth, I'm pretty sure you'll be taken aback by its colorful looks: after all, there's a whole Earth before your eyes. But what can you actually do with this beauty? Let me tell you about what I myself did: first, I rotated the model a bit. Then I tried to find my house (by the way, there is even a start-up tip dedicated to doing just that), which didn't leave me all that impressed with the result as it was not quite accurate. After that I clicked on some of the most famous cities to browse them around, and this time Google Earth didn't disappoint: I had 3D buildings, a tour guide, a great number of photos to sift through, navigation with Street View mode, and I even could see the weather. The loading process was not that fast, but it was still worth waiting. Additionally, you can try out the Viewing the Past option to see how certain places have changed over time. Later, when I was done with random searching, I came across several communities that share exact coordinates of fantastic places around the globe - which also was entertaining in its own right. Also, don't forget to switch between Earth, Sky, Mars, and Moon models. Believe me, there is much to explore over there as well.

Canada

Google Maps

This web mapping application was launched 8 years ago, and it offers street maps, navigation and route planning (for traveling on foot, by car, bike, or public transport), and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world. Actually almost all smartphones and tablets have Google Maps already integrated in them. Users can search for locations and initiate navigation by voice, as well as get traffic info, and use Street and Satellite views.

Street View

Well, let's take a closer look. The maps themselves look quite accurate. Without much trouble you'll be able to find any place you want, be it an obscure city or a tiny landmark, just whatever you want. Then you can travel around lots of places using the Street View mode. Also, try the Compass mode, which allows you to have a look around (a very useful feature if you get lost), get familiar with descriptions of landmarks, enjoy photos shared by other users, or add your own, and look through the info about local restaurants, bars, etc.

Planning a route from London to Manchester

All of this sounds great, but to my mind the route planner takes the crown as one of the most useful features the application has to offer. This option can help you easily think out your future route no matter the means of traveling you are going to choose. Moreover, you don't need to worry if you get lost, the application will help you out.

Need them both?

So after looking at the main features of Google Maps and Google Earth we can see that these two projects pursue different goals. Google Earth lets users get familiar with our Earth and outer space. You see a model of the globe, like those you saw at school, but with a striking difference: you can visit any place, get a short overview of its famous sights, see how it looked in the past, peep under the oceans and lakes, stroll around the cities you have never been to, and walk around the Moon and Mars. It seems that Google Earth is meant to be a perfect application for geography lessons or for one's personal studies. Meanwhile, Google Maps has a more practical purpose: you can use it both to plan your future journey and get around during one. Thanks to it, you will never ever have to open any paper guide to search for a local pub or a closest bus stop. I am sure that we do actually need both applications: if you still don't feel confident enough to go to an unknown place with Maps, at least you can visit it in Google Earth.

Conference Call Service

A conference call involves the communication between a calling party and more than one listener. There are numerous conference call services available, making it difficult to make a quick decision. The service that you choose will ultimately depend on the expectations and uses you wish get out of your conference calls. For some, only a few details matter, such as price, while others are in need of advanced services like on-the-spot technical support. Below are a few factors to consider when choosing the conference call service that is most compatible with your needs.

Business Conference Calls

When it comes time to report quarterly stats, many companies turn to conference calls. This allows them to communicate the ups and downs of their business to interested parties. A higher-level company executive, such as the CEO, often reads the company reports. Once the results are revealed, the call is then accessible for others to join in, namely stock analysts, who come with a slew of questions. Businesses may also use conference calls to promote their products or services. Seminar leaders may open a conference call to the public to share their marketing techniques or business strategies for free or a small price.

Entertainment-Based Conference Calls

Today, people are looking for more and more ways to make new friends or find the companion of their dreams. When bars and clubs get to be too much, the allure of chatting on a "party line" becomes increasingly appealing. Entertainment-based conference calls are used to provide a break from boredom, as well as a way to socialize with others. Participants call a phone number set aside for this purpose and are plugged into a whole new world of mingling and flirting.

Audio vs. Visual

Audio conference calls are less expensive and require less equipment than visual conferencing. Web conference calls also open up a host of potential problems, such as malfunctioning chat, instant message, and web cam services. Streaming video may also pose concerns. Although the capabilities of visual conference calls are vast and have a better way of getting the point across, depending on your intended audience, the concept might be too advanced.

To use visual conferencing as a business tool, you will also have to familiarize yourself with an assortment of software selections and other online options. Learning visual conferencing techniques is a process. For example, include too many large files and you may end up with a communication problem.

Conference Call Limitations

What kind of conference call do you want? Some services allow the called party to speak during a call, while other selections only allow called parties to listen to what is being said.

Conference Call Set-Up

Do you want to control how conference calls are received and made? Calling parties can place calls to desired participants or entrance to a call is gained by calling a special phone number.

Reservation vs Non-Reservation

When you choose a service offering reservation-less conference calls, you will enjoy more freedom. Calls can be placed at any time without speaking to an operator or setting up an appointment. Reservation services require you to schedule your call ahead of time.

Conference Call Commands

What sort of capabilities do calling parties have when choosing a service? Things to consider include the ability to get operator assistance, mute and unmute participants, alter ringing tones and record conversations.

Call Planning is Essential

Knowing how long your conference call will be allows you to shuffle along participants to meet time expectations. As a rule of thumb, a conference call centers on an hour or more. Larger groups demand longer time frames, but without the use of video, it is difficult to keep the interest of all participants.

Usually, about 1-3 minutes are given to each participant to voice his or her opinions. Often, an hour-long conversation handles about 1-2 topics. Another important factor pertaining to conference calls is to prepare for last-minute technical issues. Be aware of applicable time zones and schedule a conference call that will accommodate all of your desired participants. When choosing a service, make sure all customer and technical support will be handled in a timely manner.

Billing Plans

Accepting a variety of credit cards, some services offer per minute pricing plans. Once the conference call is completed, a call summary is emailed to you with all of the details. Applicable charges are then placed on your credit card. Additional plans include flat rate unlimited and monthly plans. Some companies offer a flat monthly rate of $60 for a maximum of five people that allows unlimited usage for the month.

Special Services

Will the conference call service you choose provide you with extra services? Depending on your needs, you may desire to have a taped recording of your conference call. Some services offer this luxury for a flat fee (around $25). Some charge an hourly rate if you wish to have a transcript of your call. Rebroadcasts are also offered through some services for a fee. For an extra charge, operator assistance might be available, which helps with the moderation of conference calls.

Several Conference Call Service Companies Reviewed

Accu Conference : This on-demand, fully automated toll-free service offers reservation-less service, free call recordings and live in-call web control for 9.9 cents per line. Operator service costs 13.9 cents. Unlimited use, flat-rate conferencing is offered, starting at $99 per month.

No Cost Conference : Offers free, reservation-less conference call capabilities, available 24 hours a day. You will receive a pin and dial-in phone number once a quick registration is completed. Free and cheap conference call services are good for short notice calls and limited budgets. With this option, reliability of service does become a concern.

WebEx : Offers conference call services, as well as helpful products, such as Meeting Center, Training Center, Support Center and Sales Center. They offer different solutions to better serve small, medium and large companies. They also offer decent live technical support and pay-per-use services.

OnConference : This service offers no set-up fee and has a listed price of 19 cents per minute per person with or without toll-free access.

Contact Call : Highly recommended for their operator-assisted services.

When you conduct careful comparisons and research on the many conference call services, you will be able to take advantage of a wealth of savings that regular phone services cannot provide.

Learn Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop users may be used to using many of the tools that are part of the program but have you used the Gradient Editor as a way to customize Photoshop’s default gradients?

You need to have a good working knowledge of Photoshop’s GradientTool if you want to be able to make the most of the possibilities and this means you have to be able to master the editing options.

No need to be overwhelmed because this is a fairly easy thing to learn and master, it will just take a little practice.

Begin by selecting the Gradient Tool and then click on the gradient preview located in the options bar. This will open Gradient Editor and you are ready to get to work.

When you have opened Gradient Editor you will see several preset gradients. You can choose from the default Foreground, the Background gradient and even the more complex Chrome gradient.

With some practice you will be able to use the preset gradients to create new ones.

You can edit the preset gradients and design new gradients. Some of the gradients have more color stops than others.

The Foreground to Background gradient has two color stops while the Spectrum gradient has seven color stops.

If you want to modify a gradient you can do so by changing the color stops.

Click on one and choose a new color from the color picker, it’s that easy.

You can also click on an image and sample a color for your customized gradient. When you do this you can use the Eyedropper Tool to customize or you may want to add new color stops to a gradient that already exists.

You just click anywhere along the bottom edge of the preview bar and you will be able to add new color stops.

Maybe you want to add different opacity settings so that you can have an image fade from solid to transparent.

This can be done when you use the opacity stops that run along the top of the preview bar. The black opacity stop will be 100% solid while a white opacity stop will tell you that this part of the gradient is 100% transparent. The gray stops show you the values in between.

Bluetooth Device with Windows 7

The methods compiled here are simple and reliable. However, it is advised that these should be implemented carefully to avoid encountering problems. It will save your time as well as money that would indeed be spent searching for Microsoft help or Microsoft Windows 7 support options.

Before beginning, make sure that you either have a Windows 7-supported Bluetooth dongle or an inbuilt Bluetooth functionality in your Windows 7 computer for the pairing to work. Also make sure that you have an active internet connection and the Bluetooth is turned on in your device before beginning with the pairing procedure. 

Bluetooth Dongle

Plug the Bluetooth Dongle into the USB port of your Win7 PC. The automatic plug and play wizard will open up, recognize the Bluetooth device, and automatically install the correct driver software needed for it. You will see the Driver Software Installation window showing the drivers installed with green checkmarks next to Ready to use a couple of times. Click on the Close button to exit this window.

Click on the Start button, type ‘Bluetooth’ (without quotes) in the Start Search menu, and hit Enter on the keyboard. You will see different entries on the top under Control Panel. Click on the Add a Bluetooth device link. 




Let the Windows 7 search for an active device (make sure that Bluetooth is turned on in your device). When finished, it will show the list of devices it has found. Click on the name of your Bluetooth device and customize it like setting as the default device if you want to. Check the sound settings or adjust them if desired. When done, click on Apply button and then OK to exit the window. 

Win7 Built-in Functionality

Before beginning, let’s make Windows 7’s work easier. Click on the Start menu and the click to select Devices and Printers on the right hand side. Right click on the computer’s icon and then choose Device installation settings from the dropdown options. In the Device installation settings window, click to select the button next to Yes, do this automatically (recommended) and then hit the Save Changes button. This task will ensure that Win7 automatically searches for and installs correct driver software for your Bluetooth device. You must perform this task; otherwise you will be lost searching for the correct drivers on the internet. Besides, a great deal of time will be lost doing so.

When done, type ‘devicepairingwizard’ (without quotes) in the Start Search field and hit Enter on the keyboard. Meanwhile, make sure that Bluetooth is active on your device. Now that the Add a device wizard opens and shows the list of all the devices that it has found, click to select your one from the options and then press the Next button.
Now Windows will check for the correct driver software from the internet and automatically install them. Your manual labor and time will be saved. When finished, it will prompt open a window displaying ‘This device has been successfully added to this computer’. You can either hit the Close button or click on the Devices and Printers link to check whether the device is properly functioning or not. 

It is always good to turn on the Windows’ automatic update device drive installation feature as it can search for the right drivers for all types of devices and thus save you from the hassle and pain of doing it on your own. Besides, there are several manufacturers or driver software publishers on the internet who publish drivers on a regularly basis. It will be beyond your understanding to download and install the right, compatible drive for your device.